Record Reviews

52UM ~ GOODBYE AMSTERDAM 52UM 0002 (Barcode: 5903068124136) ~ POLAND ~ Pop & Rock Recorded: 2024 Released: 2024 This is an album by Polish Alternative Rock band UM52Find albums by this artist, recorded in the aftermath of the death of the band’s legendary leader Robert BrylewskiFind albums by this artist. The lineup includes the founding member, guitarist / vocalist Konrad JanuszekFind albums by this artist, bassist Rafal MicinskiFind albums by this artist, drummer Michal LeksFind albums by this artist, multi-instrumentalist Wojciech KonikiewiczFind albums by this artist and vibraphonist Pawel StawarzFind albums by this artist. The album presents ten tracks, co-credited to all band members. The album was recorded at the excellent Monochrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist. The music offers an interesting cross-genre amalgam of Rock, Reggae, World Music influences and strong Jazzy flavors, induced by Konikiewicz, who produced the album. Soaked in typical Polish melancholy, the album has a retro feel and sound, which is a fond reminder of better days in Polish Rock / Pop music, when it was not only music but a form of expression, protest and social awareness, and before it was kidnapped by Western destructive mediocracy and other poisonous influences. Sadly, I suppose that this album will find little rapport with contemporary young Polish listeners, and is oriented towards the disappearing class of music listeners, who remember what music was all about. It is simply too good and demanding to compete with contemporary musical nothingness. Overall, this is a sentimental tribute to Polish Alternative Rock music of several decades ago, full of nice melodies, intelligent lyrics and excellent instrumental performances, which work well for people my age, but probably are less attractive to younger listeners. I had a blast listening to this, who else?

Updated: 27/06/2024Posted: 27/06/2024

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

ASSOCIATION ~ GOODBYE COLUMBUS (SOUNDTRACK) COLLECTORS` CHOICE 648 (Barcode: 617742064827) ~ USA ~ Classic Pop Recorded: 1969 Released: 2006 5th album by the excellent US Pop group AssociationFind albums by this artist, a sextet of gifted songwriters, players and most importantly singers, who brought the art of vocal harmony to the highest levels known in popular music. The group enjoyed some success on the US charts in the late 1960s, but they were way more sophisticated and creative to be considered just as hit makers. Over the years the group released a series of excellent albums, each and every one of them full of great songs, superbly performed and sung. The fact that most of their material was self penned, self played and self arranged the collective talent and ingenuity of the band members is beyond doubt. Their vocal harmonies, firmly based in the American Folk vocal tradition but cleverly adapted to the Pop / Rock climate, are a model revered and copied to this very day. There are hardly any weak songs on any of their albums and with six songwriters in the band they were never short of material. This album is quite an oddity in their recorded legacy, as the band´s songs appearing here were commissioned to serve as part of a soundtrack to the "Goodbye ColumbusFind albums with this title" movie. The Association songs constitute only a part of the soundtrack (the rest is accidental music composed by Charles FoxFind albums by this artist, who would become a most successful Hollywood film composer), therefore the album is mostly for collectors, but the music is still great.

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

CREAM ~ GOODBYE POLYDOR 531815 ~ UK ~ Classic Rock 4th album (recorded 1968) and as the album suggests the group`s swan song. It includes the last 3 studio tracks they would ever record, especially the super classic `Badge` (co-composed by Eric Clapton and George Harrison) and one of the greatest anthems of the era. The other 3 tracks are recorded live and allow the musicians to stretch out and improvise - something they did better then any other of their peers. In just under two years Cream existed, they revolutionised the face of rock as we know it, opening it for endless possibilities and including elements of jazz-influenced improvisation rarely used in rock earlier. One can truly say they left the scene with a bang!

CD 1 Remastered Essential Recommend To A Friend

CREAM ~ GOODBYE TOUR LIVE 1968 POLYDOR 602577952999 (Barcode: 602577952999) ~ UK ~ Blues-Rock Recorded: 1968 Released: 2019 This is an archival Box Set collecting four live shows by the iconic British supergroup CreamFind albums by this artist, recorded during the groups final American tour in October 1968 (Oakland, LA and San Diego) and the final UK concert at the Royal Albert Hall in November 1968. None of this material was previously released on CD. The 4CD set is lavishly packaged with a book full of great photographs and a lengthy essay by David FrickeFind albums by this artist. Guitarist Eric ClaptonFind albums by this artist, bassist / vocalist Jack BruceFind albums by this artist and drummer Ginger BakerFind albums by this artist managed to revolutionize Rock music during the short time they stayed together, pioneering everything that defines Rock by crystalizing its ingredients: riffs, Blues changes, power trio setting, extended soloing and most of all incredible inventiveness and stamina. Most of the original material in Cream’s repertoire was composed by Bruce, featuring lyrics by the poet Pete BrownFind albums by this artist, but they also played their interpretations of Blues standards. But Cream were also way beyond what is commonly defined as Rock. Bruce and Baker pioneered Jazz-Rock Fusion a few years earlier when playing in groups led by Graham BondFind albums by this artist, and both had Jazz upbringing in them, which often came to the surface during their lengthy improvisations, which characterized their live performances. Clapton, who did not have a Jazz background, invented the Rock improvisation singlehandedly, opening the path to many great guitar players that followed in his path as Rock improvisers: Jimi HendrixFind albums by this artist, Duane AllmanFind albums by this artist and others. The music included in this Box Set is a wonderful opportunity to study the modus operandi Cream developed over time, and although the four concerts are based on a very similar set lists, each and every one of the four versions of the same tune are completely different in every aspect. There are subtle tempi changes, different dynamics, bass patterns and obviously each of the guitar solos is a world in itself. Listening to the bass playing reveals the genius of Bruce, who was definitely the greatest virtuoso of the bass guitar in all times. Baker, who learned to play drums from the great British Jazz drummer Phil SeamenFind albums by this artist, was also one of the most unique Rock drummers of all times and his drum soli are absolutely unique to this very day. This album is a great tribute to these two Giants, both sadly no longer with us. Overall, the music this album presents, despite of being five and a half decades old, is still some of the finest Rock achievements in the entire history of the genre. There is no need to recommend this album to veteran Rock fans, but there a billions of people who never even heard one note of this, which explains why this world looks like it does :) My suggestion to the Jazz lovers among my readers would be to give it a listen and discover not only how it swings, but also where the sources of the Jazz-Rock Fusion Nile originate from.

Updated: 28/01/2022Posted: 28/01/2022

CD 4 Box Set Remastered Recommend To A Friend

ELTON JOHN ~ GOODBYE YELLOW BRICK ROAD (40TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION) MERCURY 602537534807 (Barcode: 602537534807) ~ UK ~ Classic Pop Recorded: 1973 Released: 2014 This is a Box Set edition of the milestone seventh album by Pop legend Elton JohnFind albums by this artist. It includes the original double album remastered with a whole bunch of bonus material, including the entire BBC live recording of a concert at the Hammersmith Odeon in 1973, documentary film about Elton, his lyricist Bernie TaupinFind albums by this artist and his group and a hardcover book full of photographs documenting the period when this music was recorded as well as an informative essay. All together this Box Set includes 4 CDs, 1 DVD and a book. It is hard to believe that this music is forty years old; I distinctly remember listening to it for the first time and being honestly impressed, although my musical inclination at the time was immersed in Progressive Rock and Free Jazz – some albums are simply too good to be ignored, regardless of their stylistic background. Elton of course started his road to fame and glory a few years earlier, producing one great album after another and with the help of Taupin created some of the most remarkable Pop anthems in history. Elton was of course always different; the fact that he used the acoustic piano as his weapon of choice, in a world of screaming electric guitars, was just one aspect of his uniqueness. Then there was his sweet, crooner like voice which could melt ice and those meaningful lyrics that popped out of Taupin´s head, which used imagery and sophistication way beyond your usual Pop song. Top all that with Elton´s extravagant costumes and stage appearance and you get a true Star, one of those greater than life figures that left our world for good. But most importantly there was the magic ability to write beautifully melodic tunes, which were catchy like hell but were never trivial, used strange chord changes and included a myriad of clever bits and odds originating in Blues, Jazz, Vaudeville and Cabaret, and were way more sophisticated that what most people considered as Pop. This was Elton´s magic and the reason why this music remains perfect exactly as it was forty years ago, untouchable by time. The live recordings included here prove that Elton was not only a great songwriter but also a superb performer; behind the vale of flashy costumes and early Glam era mannerisms there was a wonderful singer and excellent piano player, an touching actor, in short a great Artist. We old farts, who experienced this music in real time, need no convincing; we know this is good music. But you, poor souls, born long after this music was created, get yer ya-ya´s out and give it a listen rather than keep poisoning your wretched souls by contemporary bullshit. You have been warned!

Updated: 26/01/2019Posted:

CD+DVD 5 Mini-Sleeve Box Set Remastered Bonus Tracks Essential Recommend To A Friend

RAY RUSSELL ~ GOODBYE SVENGALI CUNEIFORM 223 ~ UK ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Ray Russell is one of the most interesting figures on the UK music scene. He is responsible for some pioneering guitar work in the late 1960’s / early 1970’s in several proto-Prog and early Jazz-Rock groups (see Rock Workshop) and later fusion innovations with his group RMS during the 1980’s. While in RMS, Russell met the legendary arranger Gil Evans, who also performed and recorded with the group. This album is inspired and dedicated to Gil Evans (“Svengali” was his nickname in the jazz circles). The material includes one historical recording with Gil Evans from 1988, which is believed to be Gil’s final recording session (he died soon after). The rest of the album includes compositions inspired by Evans and performed by a mighty set of musicians, including Simon Phillips and Mo Foster from RMS, Gary Husband and many others. Ray displays his guitar pyrotechnics all along, proving once again that he is far from retirement.

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

SBB ~ GOODBYE (LIMITED EDITION) METAL MIND 0335 (Barcode: 5907785026186) ~ POLAND ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 2000 - 2001 Released: 2005 The legendary Polish Prog / Fusion group SBBFind albums by this artist needs little introduction to the avid Prog / Fusion fans the world over. Now in its fifth decade of activity, the group already established a unique position on the music scene, which can be rivaled only but a chosen few. Their prolific studio and live recordings include dozens of albums, each and every one of which is a meaningful musical experience of unrepeated intensity and depth and a display of dazzling virtuosity. This album documents the band´s live show by the third lineup of the group: bassist / keyboardist Jozef SkrzekFind albums by this artist, guitarist Apostolis AnthimosFind albums by this artist and drummer Paul WerticoFind albums by this artist and adds the contents of a rare studio recorded EP as bonus tracks. Great stuff! Side Note: Limited Edition of 1,000 copies only.

CD 1 Digipak Oversampling Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend

BOBO STENSON ~ GOODBYE ECM 1904 (Barcode: 602498251737) ~ SWEDEN ~ Jazz Recorded: 2004 Released: 2005 This is a beautiful album by Swedish pianist / composer Bobo StensonFind albums by this artist, one of the most important modern European Jazz musicians with an extensive recording legacy, which includes many absolute classic Jazz albums. Recorded with his trio with bassist Anders JorminFind albums by this artist and drummer Paul MotianFind albums by this artist, the music includes original composition by Stenson, and Motian, as well as standards and lesser known pieces like, one even by Classical composer Henry PurcellFind albums by this artist arranged by Jormin. This musical diversity reflects well Stenson´s ability to feel comfortable in any musical setting, always elegantly and with true virtuosity. The performances are stellar indeed and overall this is a perfect piano trio album, which is my favorite format. The album is an absolute must to all piano / piano trio lovers and serious Jazz connoisseurs.

CD 1 Slipcase Recommend To A Friend